The Indigo Spell
by runnergirl33
Summary: If Sydney thought life was about to get any easier, she was wrong. Things spiral out of control as magical and vampiric forces hunt Sydney and the gang. Sydney is starting to learn the truth, about herself, the ex Alchemist Marcus Finch and things she tries to keep secret are leaking out. Will she be able to keep her magic secret from the Alchemists?
1. Chapter 1 More and More

Chapter 1 More and More

"Is that really necessary ma'am?" I ask Stanton. Even over the phone I can tell she likes this no more than I do.

"Yes Miss Sage. I'm afraid the guardians are insisting. They ignored my assurances that the protection already in place is sufficient. They also ignored the fact that your 'family' growing any more than it already has will attract attention. The newest dhampir will be your new roommate I'm afraid. Apparently things are escalating at Court and Moroi authorities insisted it was for your protection. That is something I agree on, if danger is coming you won't be the target you'll be in the way, The plan is for the newest dhampir to protect Manstrano and the Keeper girl to ensure your safety. "

"Am I really at risk?"

"We are just making sure our bases are covered Miss Sage. "

"Is there anything else?" I ask.

"No that's it. And Miss. Sage, keep yourself safe." Stanton hangs up but I am left thinking of her words. Stanton at

least cares; I noticed it was her and not my father calling with this news.I gather the Melrose family and take them to Clarence's for Jill's feeding. We find Adrian in the sitting room waiting for us.

"We are going to be having some company." I start. This causes Eddie and Angeline to tense, so I hastily add, "The dhampir kind. The guardians are sending another dhampir to watch Jill. Things are heating up at Court. She is young but already graduated, seventeen I think.

"

"Deka Zeklos?" Eddie interrupts.

"Yes, how did you know?" I ask it is actually Adrian who answers.

"She's something of a legend. Graduated at sixteen, already killed ten Strogoi. Just about everyone has heard of this dhampir with a royal name."

"okay then, she'll be here in about half an hour." I say the others are taken aback but don't comment. "Zeklos will be enrolled and our sister, coming up late because she was taking a biomedical program in South Dakota and didn't want to leave before it was finished. " Jill leaves to get her blood and Eddie and Angeline start talking about the legendary dhampir.

"Oh yeah, there's one more thing. You're probably not going to like this Angeline." I tell Angeline about the shift in protection. To my surpriseAngeline doesn't protest.

"Okay, if that's what the guardians what me to do." She pauses then smiles, "Don't worry no one will get anywhere near you." She says reassuringly. In that brief moment she reminded me of Rose and her actions around me. I'm just in shock that I have a guardian. Somehow I doubt that she can protect me from the witch that is after me. I shudder; that midnight spell session still haunts me.

"Sage," Adrian begins,

"Yes, Adrian," I say wearily.

"I-" He begins but is cut off by the door bell interrupts him. I stand up gratefully and go answer it, Dorothy is still busy to say the least. The dhampir at the door is a little taller than me, very muscular, tan skinned, with short cropped red hair and dark blue eyes.

"Hi, I'm Sydney Sage," I say offering my hand to shake. I show her to the dining room watching as she scans the area in the typical guardian way.

"I'm Deka Zeklos, but you already knew that." She says her voice and face giving nothing away. I introduce Deka to the others and we head back to Amberwood, after checking her in at the office I show her to my room and hover as she unpacks. The first thing she pulls out is a picture of two Moroi guys.

"Your brothers?" I ask.

"One brother one boyfriend." She says. One of them has the same red hair and blue eyes . My curiosity getting the best of me I ask,

"How is it exactly that you have a royal mane if you don't mind my asking. She answers but her tone tells me she really does mind.

"I was adopted, my mom was a drunken rebellious teen somewhere in the Zeklos family, pregnant from a one night stand. I grew up with Moroi parents and brother. They accepted me but others not so much, apparently I ast too much like a Moroi for some." She pauses then continues "The name is royal not me. The laws are very clear on that."

"oh," I am embarrassed by my ineloquent response but is the best I can come up with. She shrugs it off.

"I have to go talk to Eddie and Angeline about security." When she leaves I log into the alchemist data base and pull up the Alchemist file on Deka, feeling slightly guilty about looking her up. Her record is just as impressive as Eddie and the others suggested, she was actually guarding the queen before this. The fact that she graduated early is impressive, even Rose didn't do that. Of course now that the dhampir graduation age is sixteen that is the normal age. It makes me angry. The Moroi are willing to send children only a year older than Jill and Zoe to fight for them but are unwilling to fight for themselves. At least Vasilia is trying to change that.

I log off the alchemists database and pull up Lia DiStefano's website, I look around a little and find the picture of jill. I pull up my email and am about to start when my phone rings,

"Miss Melbourne, I need yourself immediately. Can you get me a cappuccino and meet me in the library in fifteen minutes?" Mrs. Terwilliger asks.

"Yes ma'am. " I say before I can hang up She adds.

"We need to talk,"

"We already talked." I say slightly angry at her refusal to take no for an answer.

"We didn't talk about your sister, Carly right?"


	2. Chapter 2 Panic

Chapter 2 Panic

"What about Carly?" I demand, all but slamming the coffee on the table. We are in the back room of the library. Mrs. Terwilliger hesitates and I get, if possible, angrier. I pace back and forth the small space.

"What?" I practically shout. My teacher looks startled.

"Carly called me. She's the reason I had you look for my sister in the first place."

"Wait What?" I interrupt, "Why would Carly call you? You don't even know her, do you?"

"I met Carly two summers ago when I was asked to lecture at Utah state, a lecture your sister attended." Utah State is where Carly goes to school. "She came to talk to me afterwards. We got to know each other and I eventually ended up teaching her magic. The two of you are similarly powerful. After I came back to California we kept in touch. When Carly heard that my sister was on the move she called me. Gave me warning. I had told her you could do magic and she was worried. I told her how close Imma, my sister is she wanted to come down here and make sure everything was okay. I convinced her not to. We were supposed to Skype so when she didn't show I had to tell you. I know a spell that can tell me if She's okay , but that's where you come in. I need you to find an object, something that you relate to her. Meet me in my room in a few minutes. With the object I just described." While Mrs. Terwilliger was talking I had sunken in to a chair, shocked. My sister is a witch. At her words I jump up and begin to leave when a thought occurs to me.

"You knew her and you didn't tell me?"

"She wanted to tell you herself." At that I leave moving so fast through the library that I get several startled looks from my peers.

"Hey, wait up!" Angeline calls. She takes one look at my face before saying, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" I say. She matches my pace and falls in step with me.

"Come on tell me. Maybe I can help."

"It's-" I stop myself from saying nothing. I decide on the truth or part of it anyway. "My sister may be in trouble. She was supposed to call someone and she didn't It's not like her. I'm worried." Although I meant to tell the truth I didn't intend to reveal that much. I think Angeline realizes this and doesn't respond. I fish my phone out of my purse and dial Carly's number. After three rings it goes to voice mail, not a good sign. I leave a message.

"Hey Carly, it's Sydney. When you get this, call me back okay? We need to talk." I hurry to my room only to find Jill already there, sitting on my bed. Deka hovers in the corner, observing. I go straight to my jewelry box and start looking for a bracelet Carly gave me last Christmas. When I don't find it I begin to tear the room apart to find it. Jill grabs my hand and says,

"What's wrong? You're as pale as I am." I barely register her words in my panicked effort to find the bracelet.

"Now is not a good time." I snap surprisingly sharp. Instead of taking offense Jill offers to help.

"What are you looking for?"

"A silver bracelet. It has a indigo heart charm on it."

"It must be pretty important for you to ransack your room for it." Angeline comments.

"It is." I respond. A few minutes later Jill finds it. She hands it to me and asks,

"Are you sure nothing is wrong?"

"It's nothing you can help with." I say. I leave a confused looking Jill in my room as I hurry to Mrs. Terwilliger's room. I pause outside for a moment to catch my breath before going in. Inside I see Mrs. Terwilliger and an unknown man huddled around what has to be a spell book. The man turns to face me and to my surprise, I recognize him. I saw him in the picture Clarence showed me. Marcus Finch. It dawns on me know why he looked familiar, Carly had shown me a picture of him before, a picture of Carly's boyfriend.

"Sydney this is Marcus, Marcus this is Sydney." Mrs. Terwilliger says.

"You're Carly's boyfriend." I say. "Are you a warlock?" I ask.

"Yes and yes." He responds. "And your Carly's sister, she talks about you a lot." How in the world did Carly get involved with an exAlchemist?

"Do you have something that reminds you of her?" Mrs. Terwilliger asks. I hold up the braclet, my teacher exams it.

"When did you get this?" She asks.

"Carly gave it to me last Christmas." I say baffled at why this should matter.

"She's one smart girl. Do you know what this is? It's a location charm. The wear instantly knows where the enchanter is, but only the person it is made for no one else but you can active this spell." Mrs. Terwilliger announces. She hands it back to me and I put it on. I feel a slight tingle of magic and instantly know where she is.

"She's a little outside of LA. Let's go." I say. To my surprise no one objects, they are both as eager to find Carly as I am. The three of us head out the door only to find Angeline waiting outside.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Remember our conversation at Clarence's" I notice Marcus starts a little at the sound of Marcus's mane. He studies Angeline and I see understanding in his eyes.

"I don't suppose you can just let me go, just this once?" I ask, already knowing the answer .

"That would defeat the purpose." She responds. I role my eyes and sigh. I check to ensure that the hall is empty.

"They know you're a dhampir Angeline." I say. "Let's just say she's my guardian and leave it at that." Both adults look a little surprised but don't say anything. Angeline and I take the Latte and Mrs. Terwilliger and Marcus follow behind us.

"Can I ask where we are going?" she asks.

"If you're coming along please don't tell the others." I take a deep breath. "To be blunt, I can do magic. Because of that Mrs. Terwilliger's evil sister is after me. We think she kidnapped my sister. I have a charm that tells me where she is."

"So we're going to rescue her?" Angeline asks.

"Yes. Why are you not saying that humans doing magic is crazy?" I ask.

"We don't tell outsiders this but there are two witches that live with the Keepers." This surprises me but I chose not to comment. The almost hour long drive takes way to long in my opinion. When we finally get to the house the bracelet directs me to I purposely drive past it. I park farther down the street. Mrs. Terwilliger pulls up behind me and we get out.

"My sister is nearby," She says pointing to the house where Carly is.

"So is Carly." I say I point to the same house. It is the same house that was in my vision when I preformed the location spell. Carly is trapped in the house of the Witch who is trying to kill me.


	3. Chapter 3 Theft

Chapter 3 Theft

"This is a trap," I announce making the Alchemists sign against evil on my shoulder involuntarily. Marcus laughs bitterly,

"We don't have a choice."

"It doesn't look like anything out of the ordinary to me." Angeline says boldly.

"This is the house Imma is in isn't it." Mrs. Terwilliger says. Imma is her sister's mane. I nod.

"So we have two, no three magic users and me versus one woman. What's the problem?" Angeline says.

"My sister is one of the most powerful witches I have ever encountered." Mrs. Terwilliger says. "plus she's holding Carly against her will." Angeline thinks about this for a minute before saying,

"What we need is intel, We have to know what to expect. She'll be able to sense you three immediately if she hasn't already so that leaves me." Angeline strolls casually from where we parked; checking to make sure no one else is around. The street is eerily deserted for this time of day. She walks calmly up the driveway and comes back a few minutes later. She starts to come back to us when she spots a ball lying in a neighboring yard. Angeline picks it up, tosses it over the fence surrounding Imma Terwilliger's yard and walks up to the door. To everyone's surprise it is not a witch that answers the door, it is a blond haired blued eyed girl a few years older than me, Carly.

She looks unharmed, dresses very casually in jeans and a tank top. My confusion grows because she appears calm, smiling pleasantly as she chats with Angeline. She goes into that house for a minute and comes back with the ball. Angeline takes it and retreats. Just before the door closes her eyes sweep the neighborhood, locking on to mine for an instant. She shakes her head sadly and closes the door. She sad eyes beg me not to come in, not to get hurt. I'll save you Carly. I promise.

"She saw me." I say as Angeline walks back to me, tossing the ball between her hands.

"What is it?" Marcus asks. His eyes are on Mrs. Terwilliger. I follow them and see she has gone very pale.

"Carly is in much more trouble than we thought. What's keeping her here is much more powerful than the ordinary spell. It is of the ancient and evil art of blood magic. She has tied Carly's essence to hers. Carly is my sister's puppet. I sensed it the moment the door opened." I am about to speak when my phone buzzes. A text from Jill. Annoyed I read it.

We've got trouble here Can u come back?

My head starts to spin and I stumble even though I'm not walking. The last thing I register before passing out is, what else could possibly go wrong?

I wake up in a familiar room, Adrian's living room. I am lying on the plaid couch. I feel week, my head is pounding and I'm disoriented. Practically the entire supernatural population of Palm Springs is crowded into Adrian's small living room Jill, Eddie, Angeline, Mrs. Terwilliger, even Marcus is her. Not to mention Adrian himself, whom I haven't seen since the night he kissed me.

"What happened?" I ask six pairs of eyes instantly focus on me.

"You passed out," Mrs. Terwilliger says grimly. "I took you hear since it was closer than my place. Miss Angeline told Adrian, Adrian told Jill, Jill told Eddie and before we knew it the entire Melrose family was here."

Adrian locks eyes with me, "Inadvertently," are all he says but it means a lot. Even after what happened he would never willingly tell the others my secret.

"Your family was sadly under informed I filled them in on the situation." Mrs. Terwilliger says. It is a sigh of how exhausted I am that I can't even muster up the energy I be angry at the woman.

"She told us all about human magic and what is going on with Carly." Jill says. I look at Mrs. Terwilliger expectantly,

"back on topic, why did I pass out?"

"You are currently the victim of a very powerful bit of magic, a curse actually. Your magic is being drained from you as we speak. Your sister cursed you Sydney." Mrs. Terwilliger says.

"What? She would never do that." I exclaim.

"Not willingly I assure you, she is under my sister's control after all. This particular curse has to be done to someone you share blood with though. I know from experience. Imma very nearly killed me with this very same curse. I have cast a freezing charm to delay it temporarily but the only way to really break it is to win a battle of wills. It is an exhausting fight, one you are not nearly strong enough for." Mrs. Terwilliger hands me a glass of orange juice and I gulp it down. I start to speak when she interrupts.

"The closer you are to your sister the harder it will be to fight her. When we go and rescue her, you cannot be there. It is too dangerous, magic is ingrained too deeply in your mind and body, It's in your very blood. If Carly takes it from you you will die." She warns. I am shocked into silence for a minute before changing the subject.

"What was that text about? What trouble is there?"

"Apparently someone broke into Amberwood's main office and stole several files, our files." Jill says grimly.

"I have to tell the Alchemist this immediately." I say. "We will probably have to move."

"I know," Jill says sadly. I look around the room and spot my purse lying on the kitchen counter. I stand up to go get it only to stumble, with his dhampir reflexes he catches me.

"I'll get it." He says. Eddie deposits me back on the couch and brings my purse over. I fish out my phone and update Stanton. Naturally she isn't happy but concedes that there was nothing I could have done to prevent the robbery. In the mean time I am to not let the Princess leave Amberwood except for feedings and she is not to go anywhere without an escort. It is almost curfew so when I'm done talking to Stanton the gang and I head back to Amberwood. We go our separate ways to our rooms but I can't help but feel uneasy. While Deka gets ready for bed I clean up the mess made by this morning's searching. When she isn't looking I study the girl, I don't know much about her except for her impressive record. I am a long way from what I experienced my first night sharing a room with Jill, but I am still uneasy at sharing a room with this stranger. Deka notices my scrutiny. Misinterpreting my concern she says,

"Don't worry, I'm a light sleeper. Nothing witch or vampire is getting in here tonight." I nod and smile.

"Thanks,"

*************************************************************************************The next day is Sunday, an early morning training day for Angeline and when she can convince him, Jill. Deka immediately seeks them out and I wander down after a while as they are finishing up. Eddie is done with Angeline but him and Deka have it out, testing each other's skill, I guess. Whereas these practice sessions always gather some attention, there is a full out crowd watching the two guardians practice. I am always impressed but this is truly amazing, after watching Eddie and Angeline I have picked up a few things. I notice immediately that although Eddie is taller by an inch or so, Deka is more experienced. She knows what he is going to do almost before he does it. She takes Eddie ,who to me is practically invincible, down quickly and easily. She is just that good watching her and Rose would be interesting.

"Who's the newbie?" Trey asks coming up next to me.

"My sister Deka." I say. He smiles knowingly and walks away. The crowd disperses and Deka helps Eddie of the ground, where she has put his for what has to be the twentieth time. He grins good naturedly and the two laugh about it.

"Not bad, she says with a smile."

"Now I understand why you graduated early." Eddie mutters. I look around, flustered but no one seemed to notice. Eddie walks us about halfway back to our dorm and is about to leave for his to change when all three dhampirs tense. Two tall thin men I immediately take for Moroi are standing in the door way of the door. They see us and attack, moving just as fast an Eddie and Deka just did in practice. Eddie and Deka square off against the two and Angeline jerks Jill and I out of the way. From nowhere two more Moroi appear, one moves for Angeline and the other for Jill. I step protectively in front of her so instead of grabbing her it is me they encounter. The man grabs me by the hair and pulls out a gun, holding it to my neck he says,

"Stop or I'll kill her." Eddie, Deka and Angeline immediately freeze in their tracks. The Moroi jerks me over to the nearby parking lot, and into the most stereotypical kidnappers van ever. It is all black with no windows. It's a wonder someone didn't call the cops the moment it pulled on school grounds.

"Get in," The Moroi instructs. Jill and the others climb in the van unhesitatingly.

"Not again" Eddie mutters a moment of fear shows before his guardian calm returns. Since the gun is still at my neck the others don't protest as out captors bind our hands with plastic zip ties Jill and I in front of us, the dhampirs behind their backs. They search us for phones and throw them out the window along with my purse. The Moroi are silent for the hour long trip, I expect Angeline wants to make some not so nice comments but the gun still resting on my neck keeps everyone silent.

They take us to what looks to be an abandoned warehouse, there is one big open area but we a pushed and shoved into a small room of to one side, it has exactly one light bulb and smells of oil. The door closes and I hear the lock click shut. An awful silence falls. Jill starts crying into Eddie's chest. He puts his head on top of hers and whispers that it's going to be okay. After what seems like hours but is probably only minutes a new Moroi comes in, not one of the original four. He approaches me and says,

"Human, get over here now." I balk at being addressed this way by the hostile vampire and do not move. The cruel look on his face brings back a million childhood fears. He moves toward me and jerks me to my feet, away from my friends and into the waiting arms of four very hungry looking vampires.

**I'm sorry for the similarity to Frost Bite but You'll understand later why I did it. I hope you've liked reading my story thus far. I plan to keep updating but would like to know what you think. Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4 Dazed

Chapter 4 Dazed

This is truly my worst nightmare. I can't help the scream that escapes me as the Moroi I was shoved into leans over me. His teeth brush my neck and he whispers,

"Don't worry sweetheart I won't hurt you." I scream again and struggle to get free when his teeth pierce my skin; there is a short burst of pain before I am lost on the bliss of the chemical high. I only vaguely get the sensation of multiple bites. The bliss of the endorphins pull me in and I lose all rational thought.

************************************************************************************* I must have passed out because when I open my eyes next, Jill is hovering over me. While my still foggy mind registers the fact that it is Jill and not the monsters that attacked me my body see fangs and pale skin. I flinch away and clumsily move away backing up against the wall. I curl up in a ball and try to hide my shaking. I am immediately embarrassed but instead of being hurt I think she finally understands my fear.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She says reassuringly. "You're safe now. They're gone." I shiver and don't even try to hold back the tears. Jill and the others move closer, forming a protective circle around me. I cry until I have no more tears, the others murmur softly but don't try to touch me for which I am grateful.

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." Jill says, looking on the verge of tears. "I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt." She looks so scared I pull together my scattered thoughts long enough to reply.

"It isn't your fault, it's theirs."

"Everyone move back along the wall." The fifth Moroi commands. We do as he says. I filch at the sight of him but he ignores me, instead examining the dhampirs for a moment before grabbing Eddie. The Moroi pulls Eddie to his feet and shoves him into the center of the room.

"Get down on your knees." The Moroi commands. Eddie complies. Suddenly I am full of fear, why did they go to all the trouble of bringing us here only to kill us. The Moroi whispers something in his ear just as another Moroi comes into the room carrying a video camera. One of the Moroi flips a switch outside the door and the room is suddenly flooded with a bright florescent light. The Moroi positions the camera in front of Eddie. The red light on the camera turns on and Eddie starts.

"Hey Lisa, Rose, whoever else is listening to this. If you haven't figured it out yet our mission failed. It was Spokane all over again, only Sydney was the new Mia she has also taken old role much to her displeasure. Anyway the company's better this time at least. "One of the Moroi nudges Eddie with his gun so Eddie gets to the point. I must still be out of it from the endorphins because none of what Eddie just said makes sense.

"So what they want is for Lisa to vote for whatever it is that is being voted on at Monday's council meeting. That's it apparently. Oh yeah, If you don't and I quote, 'they will start with the human and work their way up to the Princess' their words not mine. You can guess what that means. That's it I guess." Eddie concludes. The camera man moves the camera, panning out to show that we are all still alive. He focuses it back on Eddie just in time to see the Moroi who seems to be in charge, for our audience I'm sure, punch Eddie in the face. It doesn't seem to be hurt but I can see a little blood coming from his split lip. I wince. I hate the fact that they have so much power over us. The Moroi take their camera and go,

"At least we only have a day to wait." Eddie says optimistically.

"What you said about me what did it mean?" I ask feeling like I am missing something important there is some connection I'm not getting, I recognize the reference but my brain is still to shot to process it.

"Christmas break last year Rose, Mason, Christian, Mia, and I were all captured by a pair of Strogoi."

"Yeah, what does that have to do with me?"

"We had started to fight them off when they grabbed Mia. They forced us into a van just like they did this time." Eddie explains "And as for taking my role," he pauses, suddenly I realize what he meant. From the look on his face it is painful just thinking about it.

"Oh," I say. He shakes his head as if he can shake the thoughts away, and then continues.

"I hope Rose got the hint that we have better company, I meant that there are no Strogoi, only Moroi." It amazes me that while I'm struggling to think straight Eddie has just given the Guardians useful information.

*************************************************************************************As it turns out, Eddie was wrong about having only one day to wait. The rest of Sunday passes slowly, with no more visits from our captors. All of us are to on edge to sleep. When the Moroi finally do come back they it is the camera man, he brings in a plate with five ham and cheese sandwiches on it. Deka is the first to point out the problem with this.

"What about our hands, you are going to have to untie us so we can eat." She says practically. The Moroi eyes her for a second before nodding to us,

"Those two can help you." He mutters. Then he walks over to me. I try to move away but he grabs me, He pulls me close to him and I try to get away.

"Don't" is all I get out before he bites into my neck and I am lost once again on the high of the bite. When I finally clear my head enough I force myself to eat the sandwich the Moroi brought, I am about halfway before another Moroi comes in and starts the process all over again. By the time the fifth Moroi is gone my head is spinning and I am on the verge of passing out again. Jill comes over and makes me eat the rest of my sandwich.

"You need to eat." She insists gently.

The time passes slowly, why hasn't anything happened yet? At around midnight I finally drift into sleep and right into a spirit dream. With Adrian of course. My drug addled brain hadn't even considered it but in hind sight it makes sense that Adrian would visit me in my dream.

"Hey," Adrian is on the far side of the room, a place I don't recognize. It Is an unfamiliar formal dinning room. It is very fancy, not the sort of place I would imagine Adrian picking.

"Hi," I say. "It's good to see you." He studies me for a moment before crossing the room in a few quick steps and pulls me into a gentle hug.

"Are you okay? I was so worried." He lets me go and steps back. "I'll give you some space now. I just had to do that before I lost my nerve. How are you?" His concern is sincere.

"I'm f-" I start to say fine but cut myself off. I sink into one of the straight back chairs.

"I'm the opposite of fine. The last two days have been the worst in my life. My sister is still trying to kill me, twice I've been lunch for five Moroi and Jill will be getting hungry soon. They haven't let us go although the queen must have done what they said or we'd be dead by now!" I realize how hysterical and take a deep breath. Adrian puts his hands on my shoulders and massages my shoulders, careful not to touch my neck. I move his hands off me.

"Please don't. Not right now." I say wrapping my arms around myself to stop from shivering. Adrian drapes a blanket around my shoulders and pulls up a chair next to mine.

"We are just as confused as you are Sage. Lisa did what they told her to do. We don't know why we haven't heard back. The Guardians are looking for you guys but no luck yet. If you have anything that could help, Castile's info via Rose, was some help but …" He trails off. "Hang in there Sydney we'll find you." I debate on a question, seeing my hesitation Adrian asks,

"What is it?"

"Have the guardians contacted my family?" I ask.

"Yes, they gathered all the families, yours Castile's Jailbait's, Deka's family lives at Court, everybody but Angeline's family were relocated to Court. Let me tell you your father is one tough cookie. He was very adamant about getting you to safety. After meeting him about a thousand things about you made sense. Your Mom's great, we get along real well despite her being slightly terrified of me."

"You met my mom?" I ask.

"Yes, now I get your thing for cars, she was drooling all over my car too. She's a pretty cool lady." Adrian explains.

"What about Zoe?" I ask.

"She's pretty quiet; I tried to get her to talk but couldn't get much out of her. The only thing I got from her aura was guilt." Guilt, because she was original supposed to go instead of me, guilt because the last time we spoke, she yelled at me. I wish I could tell her that, I would go through this all over again if it saved her." That didn't make much sense though, maybe I read it wrong. I'm still getting used to humans after all. Oh and another thing, I think your sister can do magic, her aura has the same purple as yours does when you do magic." This shocks me but makes sense, if Carly and I are witches why wouldn't Zoe?

I think back to Sunday and give Adrian all the useful details I can think of.

"They drove a windowless black van; I didn't see the license plate. They took us about an hour out of town to an abandoned warehouse. We are in a room of the right of the main open space on the left side when you walk in from the front. "I tell him. He nods, this will help the Guardians a lot, I have to go tell them so they can start looking for you guys. Stay strong Sydney, we'll find you soon. I promise." Adrian says and ends the dream.

Before you point it out to me yes I realize that Sydney's blood is supposed to be inedible, I will explain this and more in the next few chapters. Please review!


	5. Chapter 5 Family and Friends

Chapter 5 Family and Friends

I wake up abruptly, only Eddie is awake.

"Let me guess, Adrian visited you?" he says. I nod,

"Did you get any visitors?" I ask.

"Yes, apparently Lisa finally learned how to do spirit dreams. I think she was as surprised as I was that it worked." He laughed softly. We sit in silence for a moment; I can tell Eddie is debating over something so I am surprised at his teasing tone,

"Lisa told me something I didn't know." He says about a thousand things cross my mind with Adrian at the top of the list.

"Oh?" I say as casually as I can manage.

"About a certain drunken spirit user I know.

"

"You can't tell anyone. I could get in a lot of trouble." I insist blushing in spite of myself.

"I guessed a while ago and you just confirmed it." He turns serious. " I won't tell anyone, I was only joking about Lisa telling me. Your secret's safe." I've surprised myself, why didn't I deny it? Because I wish I could be with Adrian. I realize. I wish it could be as simple as Eddie teasing me, but it isn't. I could get sent to re-education for just thinking about dating a vampire.

Eddie lets the conversation drop, as the others wake up. Jill reports a spirit dream from Sonya. We are talking about our various spirit encounters when a Moroi comes in with a box of Pop tarts. He tosses them to Jill and walks to me when I finally snap.

"No. If you are going to suck the life out of me the least you can do is give me a decent breakfast. And so water too, I'm thirsty." The Moroi looks stunned. I don't think he expected me to say anything.

I tack the last part on a desperate plan forming. It's not really a plan, just a final attempt to save myself. Adrian said the Guardians were coming but I don't think I can wait. As soon as the Moroi is gone I say.

"Jill are you okay to do magic." As soon as the words are out of my moth I can't believe I just said them. The Sydney of a couple months ago would be horrified. Jill nods.

"When he comes back in distract him, you three rush him. I'll try to get the gun away." I say. Everyone nods; I think they are surprised that I would suggest something so desperate. So am I and it scares me more than a little.

The Moroi comes back about ten minutes later and much to my delight everything works perfectly. Jill makes the water in the glass he's caring attack him, it makes a cushion around his face. While the Moroi tries to fend off Jill's attack, the three dhampirs rush him, holding him still so I can grab the gun. Jill finds a pair of wire cutters and frees our hands. Eddie takes the gun from my shaking hands and Angeline helps me lean against the wall. My head is spinning from moving too fast, between blood lose and the strain of fighting Carly It is an effort to walk. I can't believe this actually worked. As if reading my mind Eddie says,

"We aren't out of this yet."

The rest of our escape passes in a blur, with no one challenging us. We walk for what seems like forever until we get to a gas station on the edge of some town. I have no idea where we are.

Unluckily for us our captors had the sense to rob us of our cell phones, they literally through them out the window of the van along with my purse. Inside the gas station there is a human guy, about my age.

"I could probably get him to let me borrow his phone." Deka says. "But who do we call, The guardians? The human police are bound to be looking for us. Everyone at Amberwood knows what happened by now."

"Call the Guardians first, they will take care of the police, or at least make sure the Alchemist do." I say. "We can't risk calling the police right away, what if they took us to a hospital. A Moroi going to a human doctor is bad enough, but imagine explaining the bite marks on my neck!" I exclaim. The anger my voice is unexpected, it takes me a second to realize who I am angry at., It's the people standing right next to me. They claim to be my friends but when I need their help the most they say nothing. They just stood by and watched.

After my outburst there is a stunned silence before Deka clears her throat.

"I'm going to call the Alchemists now. You guys stay here."

She comes back a few minutes later, ten minutes after that a black SUV pulls up with a buff guy driving.

"Zeklos?" He says eyeing Deka suspiciously. She nods. He hands her a cell phone. She listens for a minute before hanging up, and declaring,

"They're good. Get in." Deka declares. Without hesitation Eddie heards Jill and the others into the car. They give me shotgun. From behind Eddie taps my shoulder and asks

"Are you okay?" I flinch and reply,

"No not really."

"Unfortunately I have experienced what you're going through." He hesitates, "If you need to talk…" He trails off.

"Thanks." I say. The dhampir, at least I assume he is, drives us to a house in LA. He knocks and a man with a Golden Lily on his cheek answers. He takes us to what looks like an examination room and I practically collapse into a chair. He examines neck with gentleness, even muttering a few comforting words. He asks a few questions that I answer as best as I can. He then leads me down the hall to a bedroom.

"Lay down," He instructs. I do so gratefully and am asleep before he can say anything else.

When I wake up I am momentarily confused, then the memories of the last few days come back.

"Aren't you going to say hi?" A voice says from the corner of the room.

"Mom!" I say sitting up quickly. Too quickly, my head spins. Mom rushes over,

"Are you okay? I was so worried! They took us to their Court and everything. They were actually worried about us. It was so strange; we even got to meet their queen." Mom rambles. By the time Mom is done rambling Carly, Zoe and Dad come in. Before I have a chance to process my sister's appearance Dad speaks.

"I spoke with the Princess and her guardians. They said you handled yourself well despite the circumstances."He pauses, and collects himself before continuing, "I'm glad you're okay. And Sydney, I'm proud of you."

I hoped you liked this chapter. I'm sorry this is so short, , I cut it in two because the original was too long. that will be coming soon.

Finally! A kind word from Jared Sage. Don't worry, he'll go back to normal in the next chapter. Sorry, Spoiler alert. Please tell me what you think, I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen next, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks, Runnergirl33

PS. last night I accidentally posted the wrong chapter, this is the right one


	6. Chapter 6 Love and Betrayal

Chapter 6 Love and Betrayal

Dad gives me a small smile that seams genuine, I'm too flabbergasted to reply. Jared Sage just said he's proud of me? That is something he has never said before, although for most of my life I've wished he had. A moment later he snaps out of it; excusing himself to go make a phone call. I notice Mom studying Carly and I with a frown. I shoot Carly a questioning look and she moths back, "later" Zoe notice's and asks

"What are you two hiding?"

Mom looks at us for a second more before saying,

"Zoe, can you give your sisters and I a moment?" Remembering what Adrian said about Zoe and magic I reply before Zoe even has a chance to protest.

"No more secrets, Zoe has a right to know." I say.

"Right," Carly nods, "This concerns all of us." She glances at me before asking the question we are both dying to know the answer to. "Why didn't you tell us you could do magic?" Although I know she meant it as a question it comes out as an accusation, seeing the confused look on Zoe's face I explain.

"Carly and I are witches, you are too. So is Mom I assume."

"I didn't tell you because of all the things your dad taught you. You would have thought it was unnatural. Jared raised you hate and be afraid of magic and I was too much of a coward to correct him. " She sounds sad at these words, also angry at herself. I look to Zoe for her reaction to all of this, to my relief she looks surprised but not scared.

"we discovered it on our own, " Carly points out, "You should have been the one to tell us, not some stranger! Between the two of us we have been in a lot of magic related trouble recently. Magic that was dark and I had no way of protecting myself from. To be brutally honest, it scared the hell out of me." Carly swearing only makes the situation more serious, her words are also a replica of how I feel.

"What are you talking about, I could sense some sort of dark magic lingering on the two of you but I can't quite figure out what it means. What happened?" Mom declares.

"Carly was kidnapped by and evil witch, Imma Terwilliger. She made Carly attack me, she almost drained me of my magic!" I exclaim. Mom goes pale at the name,

"Imma Terwilliger attacked you?" she asks in disbelief. I nod. "You're lucky to be alive then, Very lucky, and she'll be back. I had a run in with her years ago, She is vicious."

"Tell me about it." Carly mutters. Something occurs to me,

"We should probably teach Zoe magic as well," I turn to my little sister,"You may not like it but magic has saved my life several times in the last few months. You may need it." Instead of protesting Zoe agrees

"I've actually had my suspicions about Carly and Mom for a long time, I saw Carly do magic once, a long time ago. She was in her room, the first time she came back from college." Zoe admits sounding slightly guilty. "I didn't understand it at the time but it makes sense now." I am shocked by this revelation. I'm not the only one's who's been keeping secrets as it turns out.

"So we have four witches in the house and Dad doesn't know." Zoe confirms. Mom nod, Carly and I agree.

"For obvious reasons," Carly says

.

"So when were you going to tell us about that Ivashkov boy?" Mom says when we have finally exhausted the subject of magic. It has been hours but Dad never came back to our mutual relief.

"What?" I jerk upright from where I had been laying down.

"He's pretty far gone for you sis." Carly teases.

"Adrian," I mutter to myself, so low it's practically a growl.

"Present. I brought you one of course. I heard you were quiet the hero by the way." He hands me a small gift bag. "Hi Mrs. Sage, Carly." He adds spotting them. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No no not at all, In fact we were just talking about you." Carly says in a slightly menacing tone.

Adrian looks taken aback, he should considering he knows how much trouble I could get into for having anything to do with him.

"You were? Well lots of women like to talk about me; it's all good I hope." Adrian says. Carly eyes me.

"Is it Syd?" After getting the magic secret off my chest, I decide to go for broke, and tell the truth. My sister's and Mom won't judge like the Alchemists will.

"Yeah, it's all good." I say with only a little hesitation. Understanding the hidden meaning in my words my family looks surprised, they don't comment but Mom gives me a look that says," we'll talk about this later"

"I know that look; you're going to get it later Sage." Adrian jokes.

"You're not getting out of it that easily either Mr. Ivashkov." Mom warns. He grimaces,

"This should be fun. Why do I have a feeling she'll be worse than what I got from Abe when I started dating Rose." Adrian mutters to me.

"And I thought I had a controversial boyfriend, you always have to one up me don't you Sydney?" Carly jokes to break the tension that is filling the room. Out of habit I look over at Carly to see how she is doing with all of this.

"I think my family has gone crazy, and I kind of like it." She remarks.

"Aren't you going to open my present?" Adrian asks, changing the subject, giving me his green puppy dog eyes. I can't resist him when he looks at me like that.

"Okay," I concede. Opening the small bag, it is a bracelet of braided gold and red thread. There is more to it than meets the eye though. The moment I see it I know it contains a charm similar to the one it=n the indigo bracelet Carly gave me.

"Oh, Adrian!" I exclaim.

"I had Jackie make it for me." He whispers in my ear" I have the other one, that way no matter what happens we can always find each other." I smile and he glances at my family than at the door, before kissing me once and pulling away.

"What just happened?" Dad exclaims form the doorway. His expression is so full of rage, anger, and disgust that I barely recognize him.

"Zoe, Carly get out of here." Dad commands. He storms over and grabs Adrian with one hand and Mom with the other, pulling them out of the room. Just as the door slams shut I hear him shout at Adrian.

"Stay away from my daughter!' The door locks behind him and I am left alone with my fears. Visions of old nightmares and Keith's screams in the bunker play in my head. I pace back and forth the small room, my head spinning. Two burly lily cheeked men come into the room hours later, I scream but they grab me so tight it will leave bruises. I struggle but they drag me away from everything I've ever known. I black out before we even reach the end of the hall.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was a lot of fun to write! I actually had something else planned but did this instead. A big thanks to those of you who reviewed, I really appreciated your encouragement. I hope to post the next chapter in a couple days; I haven't written it yet so it may not until Monday or Tuesday. As always, please tell me what you think, any suggestions would be appreciated!

-Runnergirl33


	7. Chapter 7 Re-Education

Chapter 7 Re-education

When I wake up I'm in a plain concrete room, there is no furniture of any kind. The only thing that disrupts the plain smoothness of the walls is a thick looking door, one with no handle on the inside. There is no way out, no way can anyone find me here. For a moment I doubt that anyone is even looking for me. Carly, Zoe, and Mom will know by now that I am in re-education. They are powerless to help me. As for the gang, I'm sure Adrian is going berserk trying but knowing the Alchemists my prison is beyond even his reach.

The first thing I notice is that the bracelet with the location spell that Adrian gave me is missing. I can't believe I lost it after having it for such a short time. No I didn't lose it was taken from me. I correct myself. Adrian will understand, if I ever get out of here I will explain it to him, if I'm still me and not brainwashed into thinking that Adrian and the others are monsters that is. The next thing I notice is a thick black anklet. It looks like the ones they give to criminals on probation when they let them out of jail. Knowing the Alchemists it isn't as simple as that thought. I can sense a layer of magic around it, but before I can figure out what its purpose it slips away. I can't figure it out. Usually when I see a magical object I can get a feel for what it does right away. This is different for some reason.

I try to fall asleep but my active and fearful mind keeps me awake. The room is so cold compared to the warm Palm Springs temperatures. I shiver wondering for the millionth time, what is going to happen to me?

Everything is silent, so silent it scares me until all of a sudden it's not. I hear a low thrumming noise in the background, so low I can feel it more than hear it. So much so that it is easy to ignore. Thrumming aside everything is eerily quiet. No screams or noises of loud noises of any kind. Although I'm still afraid, boredom is quickly winning out as my dominant emotion. Just as I'm starting to relax and think that maybe the stories about re-education were just that, stories. Keith could have just been acting to scare me. I reassure myself, but thinking back he seemed genuinely terrified. I shudder at the memory. The thrumming starts to get louder. It is impossible to ignore now. I realize it is not just thrumming at all but a low voice, whispering something I can't quite hear.

Despite myself I strain to hear what it says. I can't help but be curious.

"Monsters, Monsters, Monsters." It says. The voice gradually gets louder; it is full of anger, hater and disgust. The voice sounds suspiciously like my dad.

At that thought it gets louder still. I cover my ears with my hands but the sound comes through louder than ever. It goes on for hours, giving me a headache. Pounding, pounding the words into my scull. It feels like my head is about to split open.

"Monsters, Monsters, Monsters." Images fill my head, images of Moroi and Strogoi, dhampirs fighting each other. Strogoi biting humans. Moroi biting humans. Strogoi biting me. Moroi biting me. I can feel the pain of my neck with no endorphins to dull it away. I curl up in a ball as the visions faster and faster and faster. Teeth, fangs, blood, pale skin that burns in the sun.

Fear fills me, not fear of vampires but fear that I will lose myself. It feels like if this lasts one second more my scull will split and I will lose myself in this mirage of images. Jill, Eddie, Adrian; I try to hold their images I'm my head, but the room starts to spin. My vision pulses. I can't see. I can't think straight.

I hear screaming I the distance that I vaguely recognize as my own. I black out and immediately into a spirit dream. I look around expecting to see Adrian or even Sonya. Instead I find a person I've only seen in a picture. A picture Deka showed me her first night at Amberwood. He is the normal tall and thin, with blonde hair that falls just above his coffee brown eyes, Deka's boyfriend. I don't think she told me his mane but instead of asking I say the first thing that pops into my mind and am immediately embarrassed by it.

"You're spirit user." He smiles genteelly at me as Deka materializes at his side.

"Yes I'm a spirit user." He confirms."I'm Danny Conta by the way. It's nice to meet you." He says politely.

"Always the perfect royal aren't you." I hear Deka mutter.

"Sydney Sage." I say before turning to Deka. "You knew. Why didn't you tell us?"

The pair exchange looks before she answers,

"Long story short, we don't trust anyone." Silence falls for a second before I ask

"Then why tell me now? Why are you here?" I gesture to the garden we are standing in. I recognize it from when I was at the Moroi Royal Court a few months ago.

"Because we are going to break you out." Deka says calmly.

"What? Who? When? How?"I reply flabbergasted.

"Deka, Eddie, Rose, Dimitri, Adrian and I," Danny clarifies,

"Tomorrow," Deka says finishing Danny's sentence.

"How? How will you find me?" They exchange more looks before Deka answers.

"Remember when I said I acted too much like a Moroi? I learned the hard way that Alchemists aren't the only ones who can be sent to re-education."

I hope you liked this chapter. I've had the Danny and Deka characters in mind for a long time and I am so happy I finally got to use them! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Tell me if you like my version of Re-education or anything else. I love reading your reviews.

-Runnergirl33


	8. Chapter 8 Re-Education Part 2

Chapter 8 Re-education Part 2

"What?" I ask dumfounded, surely I misheard. Before I can voice I can say anything more I am abruptly awoken by the slamming of the door of my cell. A few feet I front of me are two piles. One is clothes, old sweatpants and an overlarge t-shirt and in the other is two granola bars and a water bottle. Not exactly what my empty stomach wanted but I'll take what I can get. I change out of one dirty stained clothes; although they are not anything I would have chosen they are clean. That is the important part.

Deka said they were coming to get me tomorrow, only 24 hours to wait. Something tells me it won't be that easy. My hunch is proven right when the next barrage of images starts. Pounding Pounding, Pounding my head till it feels like it's going to burst.

"Monsters! Monsters! Monsters!" they are real images this time, Strogoi attacking, the draining of Lee, Sonya as a Strogoi and the time she and Robert fought with spirit magic. I curl up in a ball, unable to hide from them, all my fears come back. I fight against it with all the good memories but the bad win out. All of a sudden the images change, instead I see my conversation with Liam replayed. I hear my father's sermons on the holiness and justness of our cause. I am surrounded by the words, they swallow me. I'm drowning in them losing myself.

I try to think of what I have with Adrian but all I can see is a vampire. The pale skin, tall skinny build, just a hint of fangs. Instead of the person I cared for all I see is a monster.

"Monster! Monster! Monster!" I remember being fed off of and the magic vampire's wield. It is wrong and evil. How could I have strayed so far from the cause? The Alchemists try to save humanity from vampires and I am condoning them. It is wrong. My job was to stop a civil war not socialize with those monsters. I think of the spirit dream and shudder at the thought of their magic touching my mind. It is wrong. I remember Adrian compelling the gardener that sunny day by the pool. It was wrong, how could having such power ever be right? It is unnatural. Human magic is too, it is disgusting and evil, not what God intended for humans. I can't believe I could ever have touched such evil. I'm disgusted with myself.

The thought of Jill or Adrian doing magic makes me hate them. They know what they do is wrong but do nothing to correct it. That is the definition of true evil. How could I have ever convinced myself that Jill was like a sister to me? She drinks the blood of humans, steals it is a more accurate description. How could I have ever let myself be taken in by a vampire?

The mirage of images ends but my father's lessons stay, I remember each of them, think of my time with the vampires and come up with a million reasons that each of them is correct. I sit thinking for hours. Vampires are evil creatures, they have no business in the human world. The more I think about my actions the more I feel stupid. How could I have ever been comfortable with them? Just thinking about my time spent makes me shiver. I feel stupid for being duped by them. I need the Alchemists to know I am truly repentant; I want nothing to do with that evil anymore. I am filled with the urge to prove myself, to the Alchemists and to my father most of all. He saw this coming and I didn't believe him. I should have trusted his instincts. He was right, just like with almost every instance of my childhood. I resented him for it then now I bless him for it. I failed his teachings. I want with every fiber of my being to make up for my failure.

Interrupting my thoughts the door opens, a girl, about sixteen stands in the doorway.

"Follow me," She says. She has no golden lily on her cheek, too young for that, she is probably an Alchemist in training. She leads me to another room; this one has white painted walls that I find soothing. There is a vanity table, wardrobe, couches, and even to my delight a bubble bath. The girl leaves and I immediately undress and jump into the bubble bath, soaking for hours until it is luke warm. I dry myself off and pick a gray skirt and sweater combo from the wardrobe.

Just as I am finishing brushing my hair around my neck to hide the bruising the girl comes back in. She leads me to a much nicer area of the building. I follow her into an office. It is a lot like my father's study at home, full of books and filing cabinets. All I'm sure organized neatly and the way they should be. A man sits behind the desk typing up a document.

"Miss Sage," He nods to me "Have a seat, please, make yourself comfortable. Would you like some coffee, tea?" another girl appears bearing a tray of drinks.

"Coffee please." I respond. She pours me a cup. I sip it greatfully.

"My name is Andrew Kentwood, Head Alchemist of this Re-Education center." He offers me his hand to shake. I can't help but wonder shy he is introducing himself to me.

"Miss Sage I must say you were the most successful patient this Re-Education Center has ever seen. In just two days you have completely renounced any association with vampires. Actually your recovery was so speedy I almost suspect that you were not at fault at all. My theory is that you were under compulsion; all you needed to get out from under their influence was some time away. What do you have to say to that Miss Sage?"

"I think it is possible sir. Ivashkov is a spirit users, he is a very powerful compulsion user. Looking back I can't believe I did any of the things I did. It would explain my actions and how quickly I recovered my senses."

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, Sydney come back! Don't worry the gang's still going to come and find her. Will she go with them? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out.(I know I'm being mean) :) I'm just in as much suspense as you guys are. It's not written yet so even I don't know what is going to happen exactly. Thanks again for reading this, I can't believe I've gotten as much support as I have. Thank you for your amazing reviews.

-Runnergirl33

PS sorry for the shortness, I'll try to make the next one longer for you.


	9. Chapter 9 Change of Scenery

Chapter 9 Change of Scenery

"Good, it's nice to see that you came to the same conclusion that I did. Because of your amazing recovery, I would like to offer you a position. We are terribly understaffed you see." Kentwood says.

"I would love to sir. It would be good to get way from those monsters plus I get to help some of our own people. " I say without hesitating. Kentwood seams pleased with my response.

"Wonderful, I'll have Ally show you to your room. You can start first thing tomorrow." The girl, Ally apparently comes back, I take one last sip of my coffee, set it down and am about to follow her when two of what are obviously dhampirs suddenly block the doorway. They move so fast I didn't see them coming. It is like they appear out of nowhere. I filch but stay in my seat silently. Two more dhampirs and two Moroi crowd into the room and close the door behind them leaving Ally outside.

"I'm sorry but you don't have an appointment. I am very busy right now, you'll have to come back later." Kentwood says calmly. I can tell from the stiffness of his posture that he too is uncomfortable with our visitors.

"Sydney, it's okay, you can come with us." Adrian Ivashkov says. At that moment I break through the charm that is undoubtedly in place and see, Rose Hathaway, Eddie Castile, Deka Zeklos, Danny Conta, and of Course Adrian Ivashkov.

"My assignment in Palm Springs ended Lord Ivashkov. If you need something you will have to talk to your new Alchemist." I am pleased at how calm I sound, professional and cold at the same time. He looks at me surprised, glances at Kentwood and shoots me a knowing look.

"Come with us." He says in a lower tone, almost threatening.

"I have no reason to sir." He nods to Guardian Hathaway. I glare at him but watch terrified as Guardian Hathaway comes closer. But I am not her target; she hits Kentwood in the back of the head very casually, grimaces, and then says,

"I hate doing that. He'll be out for a couple hours." Then turns to me "Come on let's go." I freeze , my fear because she swears,

"We are too late, they've brainwashed her." Castile glances at his watch then says,

"We'll deal with this later, let's go."

"I'm not going anywhere with you." I say finding my voice at last. The group exchange glances of a second before Guardian Belikov steps forward. I have to clasp my hands together to stop myself from shaking.

"Sydney, you are coming with us. I know you don't think so now but this is for your good." He places a hand on my shoulder. I jerk away and try to rush to the door but am caught before I can take a step. He grabs my arm. At his touch I freak out, and try to get away from his grasp. He grabs me again and I shriek and struggle but this time I can't get out of his grip.

"Don't touch me!" I shout. He flinches but responds gently,

"You have to be quiet, and don't struggle. Can you do that?" He asks. I nod and he lets me go. The others fall into formation behind me and head through the halls of the center, dragging me along with them. We leave through a door in the back of the building, and I end up in the back of a van sandwiched between Hathaway and Zeklos.

"What do you want with me?" I demand. He studies me in a way that makes me uncomfortable before saying,

"I love you. I don't want to see you hurt"

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." I say sarcastically. He shakes his head sadly and climbs into the seat in front of me.

"Relax Sydney; you're with the good guys now." Hathaway says.

"Since when do the good guys abduct people?" That shuts her up. It is Lord Conta who speaks up next.

"Well I'm not sure you'll say the same but it's nice to meet you in person." I nod to him.

"Lord Conta.' He smiles good naturedly and corrects me.

"It's not Lord yet. I'm only seventeen." I nod and Ivashkov turns around and addresses me.

"Hey Sage," He begins.

"Yes!" I respond wearily. He stares at me for a while. He is studying my aura.

"Your aura, it's still yellow and purple, but it's smothered in a layer of gray and red. You can break through it Sydney I know you can. I'm on your side, I'll never leave you , you were there for me when I needed It I'll be there for you. I promise."

"I'd prefer if you didn't use magic on me. It makes me uncomfortable, you know that Lord Ivashkov. I don't like spirit dreams either." I say, glaring at Conta. He squirms and mutters something that sounds like

"Sorry," Turning back to Ivashkov I ask,

"Where are you taking me?" He looks at me incredulously.

"Yeah, so you can run away the first chance you get? Sorry Sage, I'm not going to let that happen. You'll just have to live with us until we can find a way to de-brainwash you." I role my eyes.

"Un- brainwash you mean. But that isn't an issue considering I wasn't brainwashed to begin with."

"Two days ago you were dragged out of your bed, perfectly normal. Today you are back to vampires are evil. That's what I call brainwashed. You're lucky I have a thick skin or I'd be insulted."

"All that happened was they reminded me what I have believed in all my life. You and Yours were the ones who were messing with my head." I counter.

"That's b.s. and you know it. You told me you loved me you know. That doesn't go away in two days without some help."

"I was deceiving myself; both of our societies agree that Moroi human dating is wrong and disgusting. Ivashkov sighs and smiles sadly,

"Same old Sage, as stubborn as ever."

I hope you liked this chapter, I had a lot of fun with Sydney and Adrian debating. You can expect more of that in the next chapter as well. Please, please keep reviewing,

-Runnergirl 33


	10. Chapter 10 Fears

Chapter 10 A Thousand Fears

I shake my head,

"I'm done with this conversation Ivashkov."

"But I'm just getting started Sage, maybe I can reason this nonsense out of you." He says.

"You think my beliefs are nonsense?" I say angry and insulted. What else should I expect from a vampire? I ask myself. He seems to realize that he's gone too far because, suddenly contrite he says,

"Sorry, It's just I know that it's not you talking. That's what's nonsense. Although for what it's worth I am not an evil creature of the night; just a slightly crazy party boy who fell in love with Sydney Sage. "

"You did not fall in love me." I say fiercely.

"Don't tell me what I feel." He warns.

"Fine, you can delude yourself all you want. Humans and Moroi are not compatible. There was a reason I wasn't coming back to Palm Springs. Your attitude makes me uncomfortable." I say.

"Well then we're at a stalemate, you know how I feel and vise versa. Nothing is going to change that anytime soon."

"If you already know that then what do you want from me?" I ask extremely frustrated.

"I don't know." He admits.

"We're home." Belikov announces from the driver's seat. Up until now I haven't been paying attention to my surroundings, or I would have noticed the familiar city of Palm Springs, we just pulled into the driveway to Clarence Donahue's house. The dhampirs watch me closely as I get out of the van, but I have lost all will to fight. My shoulders sag in defeat as I enter the house where it all began. Before I get more than a few feet into the house Princess Jillian flings herself onto me, pulling me into a suffocating hug. I freeze but she doesn't seem to notice because when she finally lets me go she rambles on and on, I only really pay attention when she says,

"And I think I figured out the thing with your blood. It has magic in it right?

"What do you mean?" I ask, startled.

"Well, your magic's a little different than ours but the principal is the same I think. The stakes kill Strogoi because it has all four physical elements in it, your blood had all four elements in it too, and that's why the Strogoi couldn't drink it. It would have been like drinking a liquid stake. But the Moroi could drink it because at the time your magic was being drained right? Since that is stopped we wouldn't be able to drink it either because stakes hurt us not as much as Strogoi but it still hurts." Jillian explains. I don't respond for a second as I let what she has just told me sink in. I try not to think about the Moroi drinking part or even the vampiric presence in the room. Logically what Jillian said makes sense. If it's true or not is unverified but it is a sound theory.

"That makes sense." I admit reluctantly. I don't what to think about my ability to do magic, it is wrong, but… If it offers some form of protection it could be useful, even if I don't actually touch the magic.

"Really? It was just an idea I had, I wasn't even sure if it made any sense." She exclaims happily.

"Leave it to Jailbait to bring Sage back, even if it is just for a moment." Ivashkov comments. I shoot him a glare. For some reason this reminds me of the first time I was in this house, Adrian opened the door and messed around with Keith. Despite my own unease at the time it is a found memory, I hate Keith; he is a monster, human but a monster. This makes e angry at myself, why should I be on the vampire's side. No matter what I should side with the human, even if it's Keith. Not having any idea of m thoughts Jillian goes on, informing me that the Alchemists have moved them into Clarence's temporarily until them and the guardians can agree on a safe place for them to go.

"Don't even think about it Sage. You are not going back with them." Ivashkov warns."They got to her." He informs the princess.

"Oh, are you okay?" She asks. Her concern confuses me. Why does she even care? Or maybe she doesn't and is just pretending. I don't know.

I just nod and try to keep my thoughts to myself.

"Well I'm glad your back Sydney." She says. As she does I get just the barest glimpse of fang, monster. Fear fills me once again. I am in a house full of vampires, vampires that have compelled me before and will probably try again. I hate it when they make me forget where I am, who I am with.

"Well can I get you anything to eat? Coffee's a given, It's already ready." She says pleasantly.

"Just coffee please. I was actually hungry but I lost my appetite the moment the vampires walked into the room back at the Re-education center.

"Well come on!" She moves to grab my hand I think but decides against it and brushes by me to the kitchen. I follow and so does the rest of the group.

When we get to the kitchen the coffee is indeed ready, I pour myself a cup and fix it the way I like it, watching as the others do the same. They chatter amongst themselves which is fine by me, I watch Zeklos and Conta with particular interest. There is something about the way they act that is familiar, but I can't quiet pinpoint it. They hold hands and smile as they converse, in their own little world. They are as clearly in love as Rose and Dimitri are, but that's not what I notice there is something more to them. What is it?

Seeing their obvious affection reminds me of Ivashkov claim, he thinks he loves me. That can't be true. He has to just be fooling himself like he did with Rose. I can't let his delusion affect my actions like it did last time. I actually believed I loved him. I don't but that scares me that he could make he think I did. I realize something else, despite being in a full room I a lonely, the vampires have all partnered up, Zeklos and Conta, Hathaway and Belikov, Castile and Dawes, even Ivashkov and Jillian. I am lonely. For some reason this hits me hard. I want company I can talk to, my family, humans, anyone. I rush out of the room blinking back tears. I wander the huge house aimlessly thinking of my family and home. Carly, Zoe, Mom, even Dad would all be welcome right now, just something to tell me I'm not alone.

Miserable and with tears flowing down my cheeks I find a place to hide, an unused room far away from the others. I'm scared, for myself and for my family. Did the Alchemists make Zoe one of them? Am I too late to save her? Are they looking for me? Are they not? All my worries and fears force themselves into my mind, I cry for I don't know how long. I cry until I have no tears left. Just as everything was coming back to under my control It fell apart again. I stay in my hiding place for hours, almost falling asleep before one of them opens the door. It is not who I expected at all. I expected Ivashkov, with his love claim and all. Instead it's the person I know the least, whom I met for the first time in person today, spirit using Moroi Danny Conta.

**I hope you liked this chapter. It will be interesting to see what happens next. Oh and if anyone can figure out what is going on between Deka and Danny I'll mention you in the next chapter. I'm not sure when I'll post the next chapter it being the holidays and what not. Plus play practice starts the 27th so I'll be pretty busy. Just in case I don't post before then Merry Christmas! And happy New Years (Just to be safe, I hope to have posted again by then.) As always please review I love hearing what you have to say.**

**-Runnergirl33**


	11. Chapter 11 Vampire Encounters

Chapter 11 Unexpected Help

I hastily turn away from the door and dry my tears taking a deep breath I demand,

"What do you want?"

"Nothing, I was just making sure your okay. "

"Well I'm fine, you can just leave me alone." I snap.

"We're only trying to help you you know.' He informs me. I look at him and sneer,

"How by kidnapping me? Did it ever occur to you that I was happier there?" This earns me a rueful smile.

"You sound like Deka when she came back from re-education. She was guardian formal all the time around me and any Moroi. For a while I thought I had really lost her. It scared me so much, she even said she didn't love me anymore. She tried to ignore me, but I wouldn't leave her alone long enough to really let what they told her sink in. I was persistent, constantly badgering her with memories of the two of us happy together." He says. Despite my fear of Conta I can't help but ask,

"If she was ignoring you then how-"The thought hits me harder than I expected. "You two have a bond." I say not asking merely stating the fact.

****** AN A big thanks to Lil altered, Yvonne Ozera and the two guests that figured it out, you guys are awesome! I was hoping you had an idea where I was going with that.*******

Conta nods, I also have the power to actively enter people's thoughts; I fed her her own memories. I think I was just as surprised as she was when it actually worked." Then looking at me he realizes what he just said, "I would never do that to you or anyone else, it's wrong to do it to anyone other than your bond-mate." He adds hastily. I can barely hear him, my breathing becomes so rapid I think I am about to pass out, Is he in my head right now? I quickly get up and leave the room as fast as I can. Looking back when I am halfway down the hall to make sure he didn't follow me.

Without even realizing it I end up in the library, I gasp for air and sick into a couch. When I can breathe normally again I look around. The library is beautiful but I can't help but think that these are a vampire's books, suddenly the appeal of the room is gone. How could I have ever thought this house was beautiful, it is creepy and vampire tainted. I end up curling up in a ball and falling asleep.

I wake up a few hours later to someone tapping me on the shoulder. I open my eyes to Jillian's face a few inches from mine. I jerk away and only just stop myself from screaming.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I was just wondering if you were hungry." I notice that someone covered me with a blanket while I was sleeping. I sit up and drape it around my shoulders. Instead of answering her question I ask one of my own,

"What time is it?"

"Morning, nine o'clock I think. Well, are you hungry?'' I shrug, I am hungry but not willing to trust food made in this house. As if reading my mind Jillian says,

"Dorothy made it, don't worry." Jillian says dryly. I glare at her for a second then say,

"I'm not hungry." She shakes her head disapprovingly,

"You have to eat, you've been asleep all day, come on." She grabs my arm and in a surprisingly powerful motion pulls me to my feet. I jerk my arm away. She looks at me for a moment before saying,

"Do you really have to do that? I'm not going to hurt you, you know that." Her frustration turns to real anger as she continues, "You think we're monsters don't you? Look at what the Alchemists did to you, they dragged you away kicking and screaming. They brainwashed you Sydney, why can't you see that?" She storms out of the room, slamming the door behind her. I find myself hearing her words over and over in my head, 'they brainwashed you Sydney can't you see that?'

They didn't brainwash me, why does everyone think that? The Moroi we're the ones that hurt me. Adrian used compulsion on me didn't he? I didn't think he did until Kentwood told me he did. But what else would make me abandon my Alchemist beliefs? A memory of when I helped Rose escape from prison resurfaces Rose's shock when Mrs. Manstrano suggested that Jill would be a target if she went to Court. In that moment I could see that Rose really cared about Jill, she really didn't want Jill to get hurt.

It is just a tiny moment, a quick flash of insight into Rose's character. She really cared about Jill. Just that little revolution taught me that although they weren't human, but they did have feelings. I think that was the moment when I stopped thinking about them monsters. At that point they became something more real about them. Although I had spent considerable time with Rose and Dimitri it really hit home at that moment.

I try to push the thought away but it starts to take root, Moroi aren't monsters. All of a sudden a throbbing pain starts in my temple, it grows quickly until I can't stand it, I stumble forward and fall forward, blacking out before I hit the ground.

I'm sorry for how long it took to post this chapter. I have been really, really busy. Finals are finally over yeah! So I should be able to start posting regularly again. tank you for reading and reviewing. Keep it up please. You guys are awesome.


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